Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics is one of the major publishing companies producing comic book properties today, rivaled primarily by DC Comics. Founded by Martin Goodman in 1939, five years after the establishment of DC, the company was initially known as Timely Comics, and later Atlas. By 1961, however, following experimentation with science fiction and funny animal characters, the line was relaunched as Marvel (taking its name from one of their earliest comic titles), and re-focused on superheroes. The company soon became DC's most notable rival, with such properties as Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men, all of which, like their DC counterparts, have been adapted into animation, films, television, and video games.

Sam the Robot (referred to as "Sam the Sesame Street Robot") appears in issue #31 in a Star Wars parody titled "Star Jaws". Filling the functions of C-3PO and R2-D2, Sam seeks Spider-Man's help to rescue Moon Dragon and save the Earth from Dr. Doom.

Labyrinth - Marvel Super Special #40, October 1986; November 1986 - January 1987, three issues.

The Muppets Take Manhattan adaptation was also featured in Marvel's news magazine, Marvel Age, in August 1984 (issue #17). The Muppet cast appeared on the cover alongside the comic's mascot, Forbush Man.

One of Marvel's imprints, Star Comics, launched in 1984, specialized in cartoon characters and other children's properties. The Star line reprinted the Muppets Take Manhattan mini-series, and in 1985, launched regular Fraggle Rock and Muppet Babies comic book series. In 1988, beginning with issue 17, Muppet Babies was published under the regular Marvel label, and the 8 Fraggle Rock issues were likewise reprinted under the label.

In Spidey Super Stories (issue unknown), a villain asks Spider-Man who he is, to which Spider-Man answers: "I'll give you a hint: I sure ain't Big Bird!"

In Sledge Hammer #1 (an adaptation of the TV series), a woman watches a Hitchcock festival on TV, featuring Laura Hitchcock's I Was a Teenage Muppet Baby (referring to one of the primary writers for the comic book series). Dialogue from the movies is seen in speech bubbles, detailing a woman's shock at seeing her boyfriend transformed into a frog. He also introduces her to his best friend, a bear.

Other media

Taika Waititi's "Thor Fraggle-Rock"

In the season 4 Agents of SHIELD episode "The Man Behind the Shield", Jemma Simmons and Agent Davis are searching for the LMD (Life-Model Decoy) Aida. Simmons says "We've been running all over this place. It's a bloody Labyrinth." Agent Davis replies, "Pray we don't run into the Goblin King."

During the early promotional period for the theatrical release of Thor Ragnarok, the film's director Taika Waititi tweeted his art of a "rejected poster design" for the film titled "Thor Fraggle-Rock".[2]

Mark Hamill played Maximus the Mad and others on the animated Fantastic Four (1994-1996), the Red Skull on The Super Hero Squad Show (2009-2011), and Ulysses Klaw on Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2010-2012)

David Hasselhoff makes a cameo as one of Ego the Living Planet's alternate identities in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Tom Hiddleston played Loki in Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012), and Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017)